Blair just laughs and kisses Ash’s hair before getting up and heading into the kitchen, showing off all his newest ink while stretching, his cut-off crop top riding up even higher. Blair is objectively hot, so I don’t blame Asher for tracking his every movement until he disappears from his line of sight.
It’s quiet for a moment until Blair starts playingAs We Standthrough the speakers in the kitchen,followed by the clanking of pots and dishes.
Ash scratches at the stubble on his face, looking around.
“Where’s my sister? She’s usually the first one up.”
I look down at my hands, picking at the blue nail polish. “She’s…out.”
“Out? At seven thirty in the morning? Where the fuck did she go?”
I shrug, feeling kind of dumb for not having all the answers. “Don’t know.”
“What do you mean,don’t know?” Asher’s voice rises.
“Relax,” I sigh, ignoring my own anxiety that spikes again. “She’s safe, she’s with Riley.”
“But you don’t know where they went? You remember that they’ve both got trackers on their phones, right?”
“I know that, but I also know that there’s no threat to them anymore. Riley has her, and I know he’d never take her anywhere dangerous. They just… needed time to talk. Alone.”
Something softens within Asher’s expression, and he relaxes back into the couch, nodding, albeit reluctantly.
“I just worry, Creed,” he says so softly that I almost don’t hear him over the music playing in the background.
I reach over and grip his knee. “I know. I do, too. I don’t think that’ll ever go away.” I look at him, then at the Polaroid wall that Collins has started next to the TV. “And not just because of what… happened. But because she was always ours to protect. From the time she was a kid, up until now, and for all the days beyond.”
Ash nods again, but a crashing noise, followed by Blair’s hysterical shrieking for help interrupts whatever he was going to say. He sighs overdramatically, standing from his spot on the couch, fighting the smirk on his lips. Blair has a flair for the theatrics, but he truly is a shit cook, so whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into is probably just as foul as he thinks it is.
Just before Asher slinks into the kitchen, he turns back to me, “If she’s not back in an hour, I’m going looking for her.”
I roll my eyes before giving him a shit-eating grin and mock salute. “Yes, boss.”
He flips me off again and disappears to help Blair. The moment he’s gone, the anxious feeling creeps back in. They’ve been gone for several hours now, and I can’t help but feel worried as fuck about them. I busy myself with tidying the living area, then add Collins’ newest Polaroids to the wall, and even play guitar some more before giving up entirely.
I’m about to storm upstairs to get dressed and start my own one-man manhunt when the alarm beeps and the front door swings open.
The sound of Riley and Collins’ laughter blesses my ears, and my heart stutters at the melodic sound.
I round the corner of the foyer to find them both soaking wet. Collins is wearing nothing but Riley’s tee and his hoodie draped over one of her arms. Her fingers are laced through his as he playfully drags her through the door before kicking it shut and pulling her in to pepper teasing kisses along the slender line of her neck. Her face flushes, and her head tips back with the contact, and sweet, broken laughter falls from her lips.
Whipping my phone from my pocket, I snap a photo of them before pocketing it. I take one step toward them, not bothering to keep it quiet. They hear me and freeze. Collins looks at me with so much fucking joy in her eyes, it could bring me to my knees. Riley, on the other hand, looks terrified.
Might have something to do with the neutral look on my face as I stalk towards them. Collins says nothing but ducks behind Riley to hide her knowing smile. She can read my intentions clearly, but my poor, sweet boy looks like he’s about to throw up or pass out. Collins grips Riley’s hand tighter to hold him in place as he tries to back up.
I don’t stop until I’m close enough to reach out and grip his throat. Panic flashes in his obsidian eyes as I whip him to the side and shove him back into the wall with a firmthud.I don’t give him a chance to speak before I crowd his space and smash my lips against his in a frenzied, hard kiss.
I’m not mad at him. I could never be. He’s clearly still battling demons, and what he needs are life partners who will show up for him when he can’t do so for himself. I don’t need him to explain why he felt the need to leave. I just need him tostay. To know he belongs here with me. The three of us are a package deal, and we wouldn’t beusif we didn’t have our Riley.
He moans into my mouth, his free hand gripping my bicep when I bite his bottom lip and press into him. I fucking love howresponsive he is. It takes every last shred of control not to haul the two of them upstairs and have my way with them. Especially now that I feel Riley’s massive cock hardening against my thigh.
I give him one last kiss that he chases when I pull away and press my forehead to his, just breathing him in. He smells like lake water, but beneath that, he just fucking smells likemine.
Riley visibly relaxes, even with my hand still around his throat. I brush my thumb over his hammering pulse when a cat-call whistle sounds behind us.
I peek over my shoulder to see Blair staring at the three of us with his mismatched eyes. He’s leaning against the wall with a dirty spatula in his hand.
He bites his lip, which has Collins giggling next to me.
